


Let Down Your Hair

by BrenanaBread



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, I am very sorry, and im such a shitty little gremlin for being so late, ive been working on this for SO LONG OKAY, ladrien, mlsecretsanta2k18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 11:05:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17243123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrenanaBread/pseuds/BrenanaBread
Summary: Adrien Agreste has spent his whole life locked away in a tower, never knowing the warmth of a home.Marinette Dupain-Cheng has spent her nights protecting her town as local vigilante, Ladybug, but is plagued with dreams of a lonely, blond boy.When ignoring the dreams becomes too much, she finally sets out to find him.





	Let Down Your Hair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doubled_helix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubled_helix/gifts).



> This was a gift for the ml secret santa exchange of 2018. I highly recommend you follow her on tumblr at [ladymylady.tumblr.com](https://ladymylady.tumblr.com/) as she's an extremely gifted writer and her blog is full of beautiful ladrien :)

Once upon a time, there lived a perfect boy.   
  


His hair was soft and golden, swooping gently over the sharp features of his face. His skin was smooth and warm to the touch, quick to darken in a blush or light up from a pinched cheek. His nose was delicate, a slight curve that quirked up at the end, resting just above light and pillowy lips that framed snowy-white teeth in earnest smiles almost capable of reviving plants and healing wounds.   
  
The boy had long and delicate fingers, nimble from hours of plucking at strings and sketching drawings on his walls. He was tall and lean, faint muscles visible on his arms and concealed underneath clothes on his chest and legs.    
  


But his most striking feature was his eyes.   
  


They were prominent on his face, not hooded or hidden, but large and consuming. They were surrounded by long eyelashes, light in color, but full and willowy, reflecting sunlight and calling attention to his irises. Green as a meadow, inviting and innocent. Flecks of gold circled his pupils, enticing onlookers to become trapped in his gaze, to fall hopelessly and irrevocably into his gentle stare.   
  
But mostly, they were honest. They told a story through every glance, divulged ardent emotions in the briefest glimpse, revealed his purest heart.  
  


For all his perfection, he was neither praised nor adored. He didn’t procure riches or lusts. He didn’t tempt husbands or wives to be unfaithful. He didn’t desire the power that so often consumed lesser men.    
  
Instead, he lived cut-off from the rest of the world, locked away in a tower high above the forest floor and far away from any town or village, forced to sit idly as the world passed him by.   
  
He rarely saw any people, and as such, he didn’t often speak. He’d sometimes hum to himself or drum patterns into the floor with his feet. But his voice was saved for those special moments when he was blessed with a visitor.    
  


A morning tinged blue from light reflected off of dew-coated grass was such an occasion.   
  


His room was kept warm at night by a steady fire burning in the corner, but he couldn’t help his desire to unlatch the window and stick his head out to breathe in the crisp morning air and get lost in the patterns his swirling exhalations produced.    
  
He closed his eyes to appreciate the breeze on his face, practically hearing it whisper his name as it passed through the tree branches.   
  
_ Adrien  
  
_

_ Adrien _

_ Adrien _

“Adrien,” a gruff voice called and the boy startled out of his reverie.   
  
“Unh?” Adrien replied unintelligently as he tried to gather his wits.   
  
“Adrien,” the voice was clearly annoyed at his inattention “I’m going out for the day.”   
  
Adrien stumbled off the window sill, shocked by the news. “You are? But father--”   
  
“Yes, I am aware I’ve been gone for the past few days, but there are some matters I need to attend to.” He straightened his collar with nimble fingers, giving the act far more attention than he gave Adrien.   
  
“Why can’t you let me come with you?” He rushed to stand in front of his father properly, straightening himself and tugging at the bottom of his shirt to make it lay flat. “I could be useful!” He searched around his room, tapping his foot against the floor anxiously, trying to think of reasons his father would accept. “I could...carry all your fabrics. Or write down all your transactions and make sure everything lines up so we know no one is taking advantage of you. Or take notes on how your designs are received this time so you can plan your next visit. Or write up a schedule so you get the most from your trip. Or anything else you need, I can help you!” He punctuated the end of his plead with a sharp inhale. The words had trampled out of his mouth in such a hurry he’d forgotten to breathe.   
  
Gabriel looked down his nose at his son, face emotionless. “That won’t be necessary.” He placed a heavy hand on Adrien’s shoulder, but it felt cold and weighty and provided him no comfort. “It is far too dangerous out there for you. It’s much safer to keep you here.” Gabriel’s hands once again clasped behind his back and he turned on his heal and found the door in four quick strides. “I don’t care what that town thinks, I don’t trust that so-called vigilante. Running through the night, tying up criminals, but never staying until the morning? Irresponsible.” His voice dropped in pitch the longer he spoke. “I won’t have my son around what could be a very deranged individual who happens to have a sense of justice.”   
  
Adrien scrambled after him. “Father--”   
  
“This ‘Ladybug’ is dangerous.” He looked over his shoulder with a hand on the knob. “Close that window. You never know who could be out there looking in. I’ll be back in three days. Stay out of trouble.”   
  
The last sound Adrien heard was the click of the lock.  
  


* * *

  
Marinette groggily lifted her head, groaning as the light that streamed through her windows temporarily blinded her.

  
She could hear her parents already working diligently in the bakery attached to her home, and she let the comforting sounds slowly ease her into a wakened state.   
  
Once she felt functioning, she sat up in her bed and slapped a hand over her forehead, slowly dragging it down her face.   
  


She’d had those dreams again.   
  
She shook her head, attempting to dislodge the images filling her brain.   
  
Those dreams of that lost boy. A beautiful, lost boy sequestered high in a tower, slowly wasting away.   
  
When it became obvious that--just as every day before--she wouldn’t be able to rid herself of the images, she slumped over to her desk.   
  
The desk was small, meant for a child really, but it had served her well over the years and she could never part with it. The top was overflowing with papers randomly pushed to the side as she drew in a stream of consciousness. The drawers were full of loose writing utensils and paints and brushes and paper and she reached inside to pull a piece of paper and pencil out and slap it directly in front of her.   
  
She started with his face.   
  
She sketched its shape and his floppy mop of hair that skirted past his ears, drew down to his neck and shoulders, stooped so his torso was compressed and the fabric of his shirt wrinkled over his stomach.   
  
His posture alluded to the loneliness Marinette felt in every dream. His body always curved in on itself, seeking comfort from the only thing willing to give it. Whether she dreamt of him on his chair or on a windowsill or writing against his walls, or studying a book on his bed, that strong sense of seclusion and isolation never left.

  
It was why she left his eyes for last.

  
She knew they were wildly filled with emotion. She knew they radiated both loneliness and comfort, desolation and hope.   
  
But she could never get them right. She’d done hundreds of sketches of him from all of the nights she’d dreamt of him, but she never was able to capture the paradox in his eyes. She’d poured hours and days into perfecting each sketch, but trying to draw what she’d once seen in her head proved an impossible task.   
  
It felt fuzzy. Like she was in a pool of water looking up at them beyond the surface. She knew they were there and she could feel the emotion they wrought, but they were lost in her dreamscape, unable to be fully formed. The more she tugged and pulled at the memory, the more in unraveled, falling further and further from the truth she once knew.   
  
She pushed the sketch to the side, physically trying to remove the thought from her mind. She couldn't’ obsess about this today. She had work to do.   
  


* * *

  
Adrien was sick of this.   
  
He was alone, so alone, and he couldn’t stand it anymore.   
  
He walked to the window and threw it open in his anger, letting the panels slam against his walls. He leaned on the window’s edge, hoisting his feet up off the ground so he could stick his head out as far as possible.   
  
Even in the dim light of the impending night, he could easily tell the area surrounding him was green and crowded with trees, covering most of the ground from his view. He would often hear the rustling of birds and squirrels in the leaves, watching the branches bounce and sway under their weight.   
  
But tonight, he heard nothing.    
  
The stillness of the land only further drove him into madness and he groaned, but left the window open, hoping he’d eventually hear something to distract himself.   
  


* * *

  
The red cloak tied tightly around her shoulders ripped as it caught on a chipped branch when she hoisted herself up into the tree. She cursed under her breath at the tear, exploring it with practiced fingers. It wasn’t too bad. She’d be able to fix it easily when she went home for the night, so long as she remembered.   
  


Until then, she sat and waited on her perch, hidden by criss-crossing branches and full leaves. With spring fully underway, her cover was good, and she felt safe in the knowledge she was hidden by both brush and darkness.   
  
She waited at least an hour in her spot, taking slow breaths to mask the sound, and only moving in very slow and calculated steps.   
  
She’d heard the attack was going to happen tonight, and she was prepared.   
  
Her fingers began to tire from their position, tightly wrapped around thin branches with nails digging into bark.   
  
She shifted her weight off of the tips of her toes, preparing to slightly move into a more comfortable position, when she heard heavy footsteps.   
  
As the footsteps came closer, she could make out low whispers and the clanking of metal and she knew the time had come.   
  
She poked her head outside the leaves that covered her face so she could see the pathway below, letting the footsteps of three men grow closer to her.   
  
Once they were almost directly beneath her, she jumped down from her hiding spot, landing in front of them by only a meter.   
  
Her back was straight and she held a hand on her hip while the other gripped a knife as she confidently held her ground in front of the burly men.   
  
“Excuse me,” she called, voice sure and commanding “but I believe you’ve got something that doesn’t belong to you.”   
  
The man walking in the middle took a small step closer to her and smiled menacingly, showing off several missing teeth and an upper lip that caught in more of a sneer than a smile. “I been hoping to run into you,” another step “Miss Ladybug.” The way he said her name made it clear he didn’t take her seriously.   
  
_ A few more steps. _   
  
She couldn’t help but be amused at his severe lack of judgement.   
  
“And why is that, good sir?” she questioned, voice so sure and sweet, it would be difficult to tell she was mocking him. “Looking for someone to teach you to tie your shoes, perhaps? Or remind you to bathe?” She brought the hand from her hip up to her face and pinched her nose. “Since I’ve such a good heart, I’ll give you a tip right here, for free. Now would be a good time, although weeks ago would have been better.” She pretended to gag at the smell of them.   
  
“You little wretch!” One of the men to the side said, taking a few steps forward to match his partner.   
  
“Scathing,” she laughed dryly, continuing to hold her ground.   
  
_ Just one more step. _   
  
“You’re not gonna think this is so funny when we’re through with you,” the final man said, walking closer to her, and encouraging the other men to step forward as well.   
  
_ Gotcha. _   
  
One of their legs tripped over a wire in front of them, triggering her trap to reveal itself from where it was covered under brush along the path. It scooped them up from underneath their feet, holding them together in a net, piled on top of each other.   
  
The men yelled, kicking out their feet and swaying the trap.   
  
“Don’t think you’re getting away from this, Ladybug! When we get out of here, we’re gonna hunt you down!”   
  
“Boys, boys, save your whining.” She walked up to them, knife in hand and couldn’t help but laugh as they tried to scurry away from her. “I hear the bears are extra hungry this moon, and I wouldn’t want to hear you’d become a midnight snack.” She reached through the netting with the empty hand and grabbed a pouch tied to one of their waists. She used the knife to slice through the tie, pulling it through the net with a bit of difficulty.   
  
The men made noises of disapproval, but she was pleased to note they were definitely quieter.   
  
“Well, it has sure been lovely to meet you all, but I believe this belongs to someone else.” She ducked underneath them, grinning at the way the trap swayed as they tried to kick at her. “Good night, good sirs!”   
  
She skipped out of sight, running back to the home she’d known they were to rob to drop off the bag of gold she’d taken from them.   
  
Though she suspected they wouldn’t stay trapped for long, she also informed the guards of their whereabouts, hoping they wouldn’t get very far.   
  
Marinette was a bit far from home, and she pulled the cloak tighter around herself, feeling the nighttime chill nip at her fingers.   
  
She sighed, bracing herself for the journey ahead of her.  
  


* * *

  
Finally standing at the base of her home, Marinette threw her rope around the railing that circled the outside of her roof. Fixing one end around her waist and pulling tight to check it was secure, she pulled herself up, climbing the side of her house.   
  
Her shoulders ached from being still in the tree for so long and her arms strained from effort. She was exhausted.   
  
She took off her shoes, leaving them on the roof, before quietly letting herself down into her room, toes barely making a sound as they supported her descent onto her bed.   
  
She fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow, eyes closed and hair tangled with leaves poking out at odd angles.  
  


* * *

  
Adrien spent hours staring out into the vast forest, fingers tapping against the windowsill.   
  
He barely noticed when the sun set, low clouds covering its disappearance behind the distant tree-covered mountains.   
  
He didn’t notice when twilight ended and darkness covered the ground in a soft blanket.   
  
He didn’t remark when the wind picked up, pushing the clouds far past his line of sight, or when the first sign of a few twinkling stars broke through the sky.   
  
His body felt immobile from continued lack of movement, not even jerking when he felt a bug tickle the hair of his arm.   
  
He did smile softly when he saw it was a ladybug, eyes trailing after the insect as it crawled along his arm, tiny legs skittering over his wrist and the back of his hand before it made its way to the tip of his finger and took off into the night sky.   
  
He tried to trail his eyes after it, but it quickly vanished from sight.   
  
Adrien sighed, dropping his head down into his hand, shutting his eyes as he longed for something more. He silently begged the tears not to fall, closing in on himself entirely.   
  
The way he curled in on himself, getting lost in his thoughts, was supposed to protect him from the pain of his reality.   
  
Instead, it only provided the perfect opportunity for attack.   
  


* * *

  
Marinette bolted upright, sweat trailing down her eyebrows and fingers jerking unsteadily.  
  
Bile roiled in her stomach, bubbling up to her throat and threatening to spew across her sheets.  
  
She slapped a hand over her mouth, preventing both the vomit and a scream from escaping her.  
  
She wrapped her arms around her body, gently stroking her arms as she worked herself down.   
  
_Calm down_ _calm down_ _calm down_ _calm down_ _calm down  
_ _  
_She shut her eyes tightly, letting the images flow through her once again.  
  
Men. Large men. Coming for _him_.  
  
They took him. They took him and _hurt_ him.  
  
She chose not to remember the details.  
  
Soon, the fear and alarm flushed out of her system, replaced by anger, hot and passionate. A fire burning from her chest out to her finger tips. She curled them into her palm to soothe the tickle.  
  
Marinette hopped up from her bed, ready to jump into action. She still wasn’t certain why she had these dreams of this boy, but it suddenly felt a bit clearer.  
  
She knew she was crazy. She didn’t know where the boy lived. She didn’t know whether or not her dream had already happened. She didn’t even know if it was real.  
  
Part of her wanted to argue against going. _Of course_ it wasn’t real. Just because she continued to have the same dreams of the same boy didn’t mean anything.  
  
But what if it was real? What if somewhere out there, this boy was truly in trouble? What if she didn’t do anything about it?  
  
Marinette couldn’t take that chance.  
  
She pulled herself onto her roof, slipping on her shoes and straightening the red cloak over her shoulders.  
  
She raced down the side of her house, scraping her palm against stone in her haste, but she barely felt the sting of pain.  
  
Expecting to be confused and lost, she’d already planned to head to the eastern side of town and work her way to the west, chasing the sun once it rose that morning. But once her feet touched the ground, she felt a pull.  
  
Abandoning her plans felt unnatural, but she couldn’t ignore the feeling tugging at her.  
  
She darted between houses, checking to make sure no one was out to see her, before growing frustrated at the time it wasted and sprinting off in the direction calling to her.  
  
Her hair whipped around her face as she stopped and started, closing her eyes to shut out everything, letting the pull guide her out of the town and into the forest.  
  
The trees were dense and daunting, but she was too determined to notice what would normally be a frightening journey.   
  
The darkness prevented her from clearly seeing the ground, and she tripped over hidden branches and rocks, but refused to let the scrapes on her calves and tears in her cloak slow her down.  
  
She stumbled out of the forest somewhat shocked to see such an open clearing, only high grass blocking her path to a stone tower.  
  
 _The tower._ _  
_ _  
_A heat bloomed in her chest and she knew this was where she was meant to be.  
  
Running up to its base, Marinette pulled her knife out of her boot, grasping the hilt in between her teeth. She could hear a commotion from above her and knew she couldn’t waste precious seconds of a fight scrambling for her weapon.  
  
She scaled the side of the tower, grateful the stones were jagged enough for her to find purchase on them.  
  
She didn’t even notice how high up she was until her fingers touched the wooden frame of an open window and she silently poked her head up to see what she was up against.  
  
Marinette’s fingers almost released when she caught sight of him.  
  
The boy.  
  
 _The boy._  
  
He was exactly as she’d seen in her dreams, from the way his blond hair shone under the sliver of moonlight that found its way into the room, to the flat shoes covering his feet.  
  
And now that she could actually see his eyes, she understood why she’d never been able to draw them. She was sure nothing would ever be able to capture the raw emotion radiating from them.  
  
She shook herself out of her daze when another shine caught her eye. A knife closing in on him from the large man of her nightmare.  
  
“Don’t be shy, Adrien,” the man spat. “I don’t have to hurt you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.”  
  
The boy was being backed into a corner, nowhere to run. Another man stood up from his crouch behind a bed, making his way out from the shadows.  
  
“There’s nothing a value stashed away back ‘ere, but ‘is old man’ll definitely pay a pretty penny for ‘im.” He walked towards the blond and slapped him on the shoulder. “Ain’t that right, kid?”  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he shuddered. “We have so little. My father can barely trade you anything for my life.” He tried to step away from the man’s continued hold on his shoulder, but didn’t get far as the man simply adjusted his grip, grabbing the neckline of the boy’s shirt. “And he’s going to be gone for days. He won’t even know that you’ve taken me.”  
  
“Pff, like the king ‘as _nothing_ to trade for ‘is only son.” The men laughed together. “You’re gonna make us rich, boy.”  
  
The blond’s eyes went wide and Marinette could read the confusion in them. She pulled herself up carefully, afraid of making a sound but unwilling to let the situation progress any further.  
  
She knew the moment the boy realized she’d arrived, as his green eyes snapped to her before looking away, down to the floor in front of his closet.   
  
It looked deliberate, like he was trying to communicate something to her.  
  
She followed the movement and smirked when she saw what was at the base of it.  
  
A frying pan.  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. My father is no king.”  
  
The boy didn’t make eye contact with her again, instead he commanded the attention of his attackers, talking over any sounds she made as she tiptoed into the room.  
  
“What a simple-minded boy,” one of the burly men commented, taking a step closer with knife held out in front of him.  
  
“Why else would we be ‘ere?” His face was turned firmly towards the blond boy as he talked. “We’ve followed King Gabriel enough to know this is ‘is tower. We just didn’t know what could be ‘idden up ‘ere.”  
  
“But now we do.” He took a step closer  
  
“You’re up ‘ere”  
  
“His son.” Another step.  
  
“The prince.”  
  
The knife was so close to him, Marinette had half a mind to abandon her slow crawl to the frying pan in favor of jumping on the immediate threat, knife at the ready.  
  
“I’m no…” the blond shook his head, confusion lacing every word. “I’m no prince.”  
  
But there were two of them, and the element of surprise would only help her so much. She needed to knock them out as quickly as possible if she were to ensure the boy’s safety.  
  
“It doesn’t matter whether you believe us or not. You are. And if you don’t come with us willingly--”  
  
She grabbed the pan, letting the knife drop from her mouth, and jumped to her feet, whirling on the man closest to her.  
  
She hit him hard enough he dropped to the ground like a sack of flour.  
  
“What the--” the other man said, his hand tightening on the boy.  
  
“Duck!” she yelled and the blond obliged, giving her enough room to leap forward and hit the other man as well, watching him fall against the ground with a satisfying plop.  
  
The two conscious teenagers were silent for a moment, giving them a moment to catch their breaths.  
  
“Are they alive?” The blond asked hesitantly.  
  
Marinette dropped to her knee next to one, frying pan still firmly grasped in her hand as she pressed two fingers to his pulse point.  
  
She shifted on her knees to check the other one.  
  
“Yes, they’re alive. Bruised, but fine. Probably.”  
  
The silence that followed her statement was deafening.  
  
“Are you alright?” she finally asked  
  
Adrien didn’t respond, finding it difficult to think of words when she stepped closer to him.  
  
“Excuse me? Are you okay?” she implored, head tilting to the side as wisps of dark hair fell into her eyes.  
  
She placed a hand gently on his shoulder.  
  
“Ladybug,” he pushed out past suddenly dry lips.   
  
She quirked an eyebrow.  
  
He cleared his throat. “You’re uh Ladybug? Right?”  
  
She hesitated before nodding, “I am.”  
  
“Oh.” His fingers were restless and he clasped his hands in front of his body to calm them. “Why are you...why are you here?”  
  
“To save you.”  
  
“Oh.” His eyes lowered. “Thank you.”  
  
She felt an uncharacteristic heat flood her cheeks and she stared at her shoes as her feet fidgeted. “Of course. You’re very welcome. It was hardly anything.”  
  
With her eyes firmly trained on the floor, she missed the way he dropped to one knee, startling at the gentle grasp of her hand as he brushed soft lips against her knuckles.  
  
She knew her entire face was set aflame.  
  
“It wasn’t nothing. It was my life. Thank you, Ladybug. Truly.”  
  
He held her hand for a moment longer than necessary before slowly letting go, bringing it back to her side and standing.   
  
“How did you….how did you know?”  
  
She turned away, letting her cloak cover her from him. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”  
  
“Try me.”  
  
She hesitated, still not ready to share this secret, but knowing it was for the best.   
  
“I’ve...I’ve seen you before.”  
  
He quirked a brow. “I think I would remember having seen you before.”  
  
“No, you wouldn’t have seen me. I uh,” she scratched her arm, refusing to make eye contact with him “I’ve dreamt of you before.”  
  
He didn’t respond, and her face heated even more.  
  
“I don’t know why or how. But I’ve seen you, alone in this tower, for ages.”  
  
She made eye contact with him then, and he gestured for her to continue.  
  
“I just thought you were something my mind made up. I didn’t ever believe you were real, but…”  
  
“But?” he encouraged.  
  
“But then when I fell asleep last night and dreamed of you, it wasn’t normal. You were...you were being kidnapped.” She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought. “I saw those men take you. An-and hurt you.”  
  
He grabbed her elbow, rubbing along her skin in small circles.  
  
“And I had this overwhelming understanding that it was all real. That I needed to save you. So I jumped out of bed and ran outside and somehow I could _feel_ you.”  
  
“What do you mean?” his voice was soft, not accusing or judgemental, but encouraging and warm.  
  
It was the only thing that could convince her to continue. “I don’t really know. I could just tell which direction to turn, knew where you’d be.” She shook her head, still trying to piece it together. “And it worked. Somehow it worked. I found you.”  
  
“You found me,” he agreed, eyes wide in wonder.  
  
They were quiet for only a moment, staring at each other, cheeks turning pinker by the moment.  
  
“You should get out of here,” she finally broke the silence.  
  
His shoulders drooped. “I can’t. I can’t leave this tower. The door at the base is hidden, only my father knows where it is.”  
  
“You mean to say you’ve never left this place?”  
  
He shook his head solemnly. “Never.”  
  
“How can that be?”  
  
He walked to the window, but didn’t touch the edge, still nervous from watching the men climb through and grab him. “My father always said the world was too dangerous. That leaving would only end in disaster.” He turned and his eyes fluttered to the two men still passed out on the other side of the room. “I may be inclined to believe him.”  
  
“No!” she said with a bit too much passion, leaping towards him. “You’re a sitting duck up here! Those men won’t be unconscious forever. And they know exactly how to get to you, now.” She would have been embarrassed by how tightly she gripped his shoulder if she had been thinking clearly. “You can’t stay.”  
  
He hung his head in shame. “I don’t know how to leave, Ladybug.”  
  
“What if….” she trailed off, trying to rephrase her question in her mind so it sounded less insane.  
  
“What if?” he prompted, seemingly unaware of the steps closer to her he had taken.  
  
“What if...what if I took you out of this tower?”  
  
“I don’t know how to live on my own,” he said, hand going to his neck to play with the tiny hairs that tickled his skin, embarrassed.  
  
“You wouldn’t be alone,” she swallowed and wondered if he could hear how loudly her heart was pounding “if you came with me.”  
  
“With you?” he asked, voice filled with wonder.  
  
She nodded. “Live with me. With my family.”  
  
His stunned silence made her nervous.  
  
“It isn’t much and my father would probably ask you to help out around the home and I’m not sure where you’d sleep or if we could help you do what you want to do or--” she cut herself off, unsure of where the rambling rant came from. “But, um, you wouldn’t be locked away. You’d have freedom.”  
  
“Freedom,” he echoed, eyes staring out the window, lost in what could be.  
  
She let her grasp loosen from his shoulder and traced it down his arm, tentatively reaching for his hand. “Come with me.”  
  
His body instantly reacted to the touch of skin-on-skin, but he didn’t jerk away. His head snapped to stare at where their hands were joined and he carefully spread his hand wide, twisting it slightly to the side so her fingers slotted through his own.  
  
This was crazy. He knew it was crazy. Leaving behind his father and his tower, the only life he’d ever known. Running off with a vigilante whose real name he didn’t even know.  
  
And they hadn’t even discussed the ramifications of if what the men had said was true. If he was a prince.  
  
But Adrien felt so safe with her. Like his heart had only ever ached and now that she was here, he had his first moment of peace.  
  
It felt like warmth. Like sun shining through his window and onto his bed in those early mornings he couldn’t bring himself to leave his pillow.  
  
It felt like he’d never again know loneliness. Never again feel useless and unwanted by the only person who was supposed to unconditionally love him.  
  
It felt like home.  
  
So he nodded to her, took that leap of faith.  
  
He knew it was the right choice when her eyes lit up in a smile and a tingling in his stomach made him want to jump and squirm in happiness.  
  
She grabbed him around the waist and pulled him towards her, hugging him close to her body and letting her head rest against his chest.  
  
He knew she could hear the hammering of his heart, but he couldn’t bear to let her go. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and dropped his cheek to the top of her head, sighing in contentment.  
  
She was his home.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr at [jattendschaton.tumblr.com](https://jattendschaton.tumblr.com/) if you're interested in seeing more :)


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